


Amore

by sombreset



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! Series
Genre: A very silly attempt at a first time, Atem and Seto are both closeted gays, Just some nice cuddly summer stuff, M/M, Oh yeah this also is an AU that is entirely separate from DM/Manga canon, Prideshipping, The year is 1982, They are also in college, They are both very shy and nerdy, This was posted as a big ol' happy birthday gift to Atem, To anyone that reads Obsidian: This is related and could be seen as spoilers but also not really, Very mild/vague sexual themes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-06-16 21:23:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15446163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sombreset/pseuds/sombreset
Summary: Playing pretend was easy, but it was tiresome.Atem and Seto are both living in dorms, but have yet to come out to their colleagues and families. So, they found refuge in Atem's childhood home- escaped the nostalgic summer heat and found warmth in each other.





	Amore

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday, Atem.

“Shhh,” Atem chuckled. “For the last time, nobody is home. I promise.”

Seto nodded and they sat in the driveway, in Atem’s car. He had just received it for his 19th birthday, his father surprised him with it by attaching the keyring to the family dog’s collar. That was the only day Atem didn’t bicker and whine when his father threw a tennis ball on top of him, an event that occurred often because he’d fall asleep on the family sofa and his father wanted to reclaim his throne in front of the television.

Ever since then, Atem took every excuse to take the car for a spin. A used 1972 Ford Cortina. A pretty dark blue color. About a decade old, yes, but most of his other friends that were fortunate enough to already have a car ended up with something much older and barely functionable. Seto still only had a bike. But he was working, and he’d save his pennies.

“Does… does your dad know about me?”

Atem frowned. Pulled the key out of the ignition, and it was very warm outside. A hot summer day, tank tops and shorts. “Well…” Atem shrugged. “Kind of. He knows I’m seeing… someone.”

Seto had his hands folded in his lap, drew tiny designs onto the top of his hand with his thumb.

“Does he know I’m a boy?”

Atem turned his head, looked out the open window. It was getting hot in the stuffy car, he wanted to go inside. “I… no. He doesn’t. But…” He grinned, shrugged. “I didn’t tell him you were a girl either. So I’m not lying. Just, leaving out a little information.”

Seto continued to focus his attention on his hands.

“Look.” Atem leaned back into the seat. “You know it isn’t that easy. My dad is a pretty nice guy, sure. But… I don’t know. He doesn’t know, you know. ‘Bout me.”

Seto shrugged.

“I mean, how about you? How about your parents?”

 

_Oh._

 

Shifting fingers, and Seto bit the inside of his lip. “Um. I guess, I got kind of close to telling them. And…” He laughed, quietly. “I’m kind of being a hypocrite. Oops.”

“Sure are,” Atem replied. Smiled, and he rolled up the windows. “Let’s get out of this sauna.”

“Okay. Are you sure your dad is-”

“Yes, the man of the house is home, actually. Sorry.” Atem smirked.

Seto turned his head sharply, and started to take a step backwards, away from the house before Atem reached backwards and grabbed his hand.

“Haha. I was talking about the dog.”

“Bite me.” Seto grumbled something else, but it was too quiet for Atem to hear it.

They were both happy, because hands never separated.

Hands held, still, as Atem unlocked the front door.  

His dad’s house was very nice, spacious and well decorated. Full of color and life. Rubber plants and bright curtains.

“This is, uh. The place. Better take your boots off, don’t know if my dad would approve of two different sets of dirty shoe-prints.”  

“Okay.”

They left their shoes by the door, and Atem showed him around. It was brief, because they were both tired and it was too warm to be moving around that much. Seto sat at the kitchen table, Atem rummaged through the fridge.

“Want a beer?”

Seto frowned. “You’re only nineteen.”

“Yup.” Atem kept his head in the fridge because it was a better fix than the air conditioner. “And we can just pretend we are in one of the many other states where the drinking age is 18.” He rolled his eyes. “Plus, I’m in college, now. I think that automatically makes me mature enough to drink.”

“But we live in Oregon. And the majority of college students are idiots when it comes to proper decision making so I don’t think that argument works.”

“Party-pooper. The federal drinking age is going to be 18 any day now, and you better bet I’ll say ‘I told you so.’”  

Seto shook his head, smiled. “Can I have a Cola, please?”

“Nah,” Atem replied as he grabbed two soda cans from the fridge.

“Thanks.”

The sun beat down on the house, but they were cooled and content. Seto watched Atem’s dog run to and fro in the backyard through the sliding back door.  

“What a spaz.”

“Right?” Atem stood after a while, stretched his arms and back. Grabbed his soda can. “Wanna see my old room?”

“Sure.”

Down the hallway to the left, Atem’s hand hovered over a shiny bronze doorknob. “Now, I warn you. This was my childhood room. So it’s kind of, I don’t know. Kid-ish and dated.”

Seto finished the remainder of his drink, his smile was sarcastic. “You only moved out last year, remember?”

Atem pushed his shoulder lightly, and then turned to open the door.

The room itself was clean, but the walls were littered with posters and ripped out magazine pages. A radio on a nightstand, next to a neatly made queen-sized bed. A guitar in a corner, a large desk with electrical cords tied neatly.

“I used to have my television and the Atari there. Moving everything to my dorm was such a pain. Ugh.”

Seto walked in, plush carpet underneath his feet. “Boo-hoo. At least you have all that stuff.”

“Heh. Careful, or I won’t let you play mine anymore. Then you’ll never be able to beat my Space Invaders score.”  

“You wouldn’t dare.”

Atem walked over, sat on the bed. Nostalgia. “Oh, and why wouldn’t I?”

“Because if you did, you better bet I’ll never help you study physics ever again.”

“Cheatin’ dirtbag,” Atem mumbled.

Seto sat beside him, but not too close. They were nervous, and everything was shy. “You don’t mean that.”

Atem pursed his lips, shook his head slightly. “Nope.”

They both sat there, light pouring in from the window and the birds sang outside. A lawn mower droned somewhere in the distance.

“Well.”

“Well,” Seto replied.

Silence, terribly awkward and long silence. Seto had a habit of staring at his hands, and Atem wanted anything but nothing to happen. Time was precious, and there was nothing more precious than alone time spent with Seto. But he knew that the privilege of having a bed, a room, and a house all to themselves was overwhelming and the possibilities and hypotheticals put blood in their cheeks and nervous twinges in their stomachs.

“Wanna listen to music?” Atem slid off the bed before Seto said anything. But Seto didn’t talk very much anyway, so he took the silence as approval. They knew each other so well.

“How about this one,” Atem said. But he was only asking himself. He pulled the record from its sleeve, set it on the player.

Music filled the room, and Atem tried to fight away the embarrassment he felt. He knew it was cheesy.

“This is cheesy,” Seto said.

“Yup.”

Atem sat next to him again, purposely closer. Seto noticed.

Now there was an excuse to the quiet, the music spoke for them.

Plenty convinced that Seto was not intent on making any sort of first move, Atem leaned over to touch shoulders softly. But he was wrong, because it was Seto’s hand that slowly shifted to rest in the small space between them.

And Atem’s hand moved to rest on top of his. Heads turned, and they were nervous.

“When was the last time we even kissed, anyway?” Atem laughed. He was happy, there.

“I think…” Seto told himself to breathe. “Probably that one night when we were in your dorm, and your roommate left to go to the movies.”

“Hah. How long ago was that?”

Butterflies threatened to cut through their skin, inflate the light in their hearts and leave nothing behind in their bodies but clouds and unfiltered bliss.

“Two weeks and a few days ago, I believe.”

Atem thought of replying, saying something smart. Saying something he knew would make Seto smile. But Seto had already gone quiet and waited, just like he always did. Necks tilted, and Atem shifted, a slight move that had pressed their lips together. Something so familiar, but Gods it had been so long.

Parted, and Seto rested his palm on Atem’s cheek.

“I missed this,” Seto said quietly.

They spoke in secrecy, even though the rest of the world was quiet.

“Me too.” Atem smiled. “Hah. Isn’t it stupid that… I don’t know. My friends tell me all about the girls they are seeing, you know. Kissing them, and messing around. Sex. Stuff like that. And... “

Atem swallowed nothing. “I have to just sit there and say ‘oh, I wouldn't know.’ Even though I have you. Because I’m scared.”

Seto smiled. Pressed his thumb on the corner of Atem’s mouth and shifted it around. Made funny faces because there was no reason to be sad. Not now. “Well, you _wouldn’t_ know. You’re a virgin.”

Atem frowned, grabbed Seto’s intruding hand and bopped it back onto Seto’s forehead. “And you suddenly aren’t?”

“Never said that.”

They both were still, breathing in the idea of something new.

“Have you ever…” Atem shrugged. “You know. Wanted to?”

“I’ve thought about it.”

Both thought about the bed behind them.

Gazes didn’t meet, because they were both thinking of the same thing.

“...We’re ridiculous.”

Atem laughed. “Yeah. A little.”

Physicality was difficult, but words were harder now. So they took the easy way out, disposed of the quiet when they kissed again with meaning. Unspoken ideas when they laid back onto the bed.

“Should we, like. Get under the covers?”

Seto shrugged. “Do you want to?”

“Sort of.”

“Okay.”

They both disliked it, the nervous monsters that assaulted their skin. So Atem sat up slightly, arm propped, lying on his side. Seto looked back at him, hands folded weirdly acrost his chest.

“We’re both nervous about all this, huh?”

Seto turned his gaze to the ceiling. Posters. “Maybe a little.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well…” Atem smiled. “This is, I don’t know. Precious time. So I’d rather… be confident.” A deep breath. “I’m ready. I’m ready for whatever you would like to do. As long as it isn’t like… you know. Crazy porn stuff.”

Seto frowned. “I feel the same way. Even if you made it weird by mentioning porn.”

“By mentioning not doing porn stuff.”

“Whatever.”

“Hah. But, um.” Atem shrugged. A small grin, and there was love between them. “I suppose, what I mean is… we both want this, right?”

“We do. No more hesitation.”

“Okay,” Atem breathed. Leaned over, kissed Seto again. But this time, lips didn’t part sooner. They stayed, breathing through their noses with tongues pressed together occasionally. Hands roamed, Atem’s palm pressed against one of Seto’s hipbones. One of Setos’ hands curled against the small of Atem’s neck. Nails lightly pressed. Silent affirmation when Atem’s fingers tugged at Seto’s tank top.

No words, instead Seto’s other hand mirrored Atem’s action. They both sat up only to discard of their tops. Seto crossed his arms, pulled the shirt off and set it on the floor next to the bed. Atem nearly did the same, except he found it more suitable to throw the shirt at Seto’s chest.

“Hey,” Seto said. Put the shirt on the floor next to his own. “This is supposed to be serious and stuff.”

“Yup.” Atem observed the little things, the tiny mole below Seto’s right colalrbone. His tanlines, where his shoulders had a slightly red tint from being burnt. “You’re just so pretty, and sometimes I just don’t know how to deal with it.”

Seto chuckled, placed a hand on Atem’s shoulder. “Relatable.” Voice hushed to a whisper. “I think… I might have a better way to cope with it.” He pushed them both back into the bed softly, but this time the sheets were left alone because their bodies were warm and hiding wasn’t necessary. They both bathed in light, washed away their innocence with hands desperately gripping onto skin. They played games, avoided the obvious until it was too much. At some point, hips brushing by each other was an accident. But it found purpose when they used it as a suggestion to move forward, new feelings when Atem straddled Seto’s hips, small noises. Small motions that made them both feel alive and so similar to the fleeting young adults, their college friends that had already found shifting skin beneath sheets.

It was their turn, yes, it was finally their turn.

Minutes passed, the sun rose high and their bones pressed lower into the mattress. The rest of their clothing was made into a tiny pile on the floor. Places switched, and Seto’s hands were soft on Atem’s shoulder. His thighs on either side of Atem’s waist. He leaned down, pressed a kiss to Atem’s forehead.

Eyes met. The room was warm, and they shut the blinds forever ago.

“...”

Seto’s chest heaved, slow but controlled.

“Do you…” Atem’s thumb brushed affection onto Seto’s side, skin on skin. “Do you want to?”

Slight hesitation, and they both pretended that they weren’t shaking.

A slight nod before Seto said okay. He leaned down, kissed Atem’s lips. The motion lingered, because they both knew it would lead to something grander, their descent into another place.

But the action was soon stopped when Atem made a slight and blunt noise that was anything but erotic. Put his hand on Seto’s face and pushed it back softly.

“Wait.”

“What?”

“Do you… have stuff?”

Seto paused. Sat up a little. “What?”

Atem shrugged, odd and out of place. “You know. Stuff. Like… condoms and lube. That stuff. I uh,” a small laugh. “I bought some at some point. Just, like. In case. In case we ever, yeah. Decided to. But I left all that in my dorm. In my dresser. I don’t have anything here.”

“...Oh. Yeah.”  

Atem snickered. A low laugh, Seto could only tell by the vibrations of his stomach.

“What?” Seto asked. Frowned, considered sitting up and across from him.

“Hah…” Atem smiled, grinned wider than Seto had ever seen. “Haha… hahahaha!”

A loud bout of laughter, it continued until tears formed in Atem’s eyes and he had to control himself to breathe.

Seto looked slightly annoyed. “What’s so funny?”

“Hahah… hahah.” Atem took a few deep breaths before speaking. “Just… I think we both came here thinking that we’d… probably do that. You know, the sex thing. But neither of us… Hah. We really don’t know what we are doing, do we?”

“No,” Seto smiled back at him. Rolled off of Atem’s hips, and rested his head on his shoulder. “But I guess that’s okay. I’m still happy.”

“Me too.” Atem sighed, lips upturned. Fingers running through Seto’s hair. “Haven’t said it in a few hours, but I love you.”

“I love you too.” Seto closed his eyes, hand resting on Atem’s sternum. Felt his heartbeat.

“I mean it, Seto.”

“As do I.”


End file.
